This invention relates generally to the recording and accumulation of events such as the amount of electricity, gas, or water used. More particularly, the invention deals with an improved method and device for recording, storing, and retrieving information of this nature.
In the past it has been the common practice for electric meters, gas meters, water meters and the like to be visually inspected, and manually recorded by a meter reader. Manifestly, this procedure requires a large number of man hours with the attendant labor costs and potential for human error. Moreover, the meters can be read only infrequently due to practical considerations and time limitations.
The present invention is directed to overcoming these difficulties by providing a device that mechanically records, accumulates, and stores information as to the occurrence of events such as the usage of water, gas or electricity. The device may be easily coupled to the rotor of an existing meter, and it includes a series of storage wheels each having a set of binary coded discs which rotate in correspondence with the movement of the rotor. The discs are arranged in each storage wheel such that their rotative position provides an optically detectable indication of the total number of events that have occurred. The discs may be optically scanned in order to transmit, in serial digitized form, the information that is stored on the wheels.
It is the primary object of this invention to provide a method and device for accurately recording, accumulating, storing, and transmitting information concerning events such as consumption of electricity, water, gas and the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and device of the character described which requires only a minimum amount of power and which retains the stored data in the event of a power failure. Since the input to the device comes directly from the meter, the only power needed is the small amount required to operate the optical scanning mechanism at infrequent intervals. Moreover, the information is stored mechanically according to the positions of the binary coded discs so that the stored information is retained even if the power should fail.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which transmits accurate output data in serial, digitized form. The accumulated information is stored mechanically in parallel form on the binary coded discs, and it is retrieved in serial form by scanning the discs one after the other to provide a digital output.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and device of the character described wherein the scanning operation is performed in two half cycles which are reversed with respect to one another and which are compared to verify the accuracy of the data that is obtained.
An additional object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character described, a unique gearing arrangement which rotates successive storage wheels in the proper one to ten ratio while minimizing the time required for each wheel to shift from one digit to the next.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character described, an identification code which may be programmed in the field and which may be easily replaced.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is more secure than existing devices. The device and the rotor that drives it can be encased in a secure enclosure which may be located in an out-of-the-way area where tampering cannot occur.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple and economical to construct and operate, which may be quickly and easily installed, and which is suitable for use with a wide variety of meters and other equipment.
Other and further objects of the invention, together with the features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear in the course of the following description of the drawings.